But the major parties are set for a contest on education funding with the Coalition having refused to match Labor's commitments in the Budget it released last night.

Today is the last sitting day for the Senate ahead of next month's election, meaning it's all but impossible that the policies unveiled in the Budget will be implemented before voters cast their judgement.

Like Labor, which made similar promises in budgets when it was in power but ultimately never delivered, the Coalition is also yet to achieve a surplus and would need to be re-elected to deliver next year's promise.

But Mr Frydenberg said the Coalition had spent its two terms in office repairing budget fundamentals and blamed the former Labor government for preventing it from unveiling surpluses.

"When we came to government, we inherited a budget that was out of control. Spending was growing at about 4 per cent per annum," he said.

"We have reduced that to half of that now and we are now seeing the product of that disciplined decision-making with a budget surplus of $7.1 billion and surpluses in the years ahead."

Despite currently being in Opposition, Mr Bowen has already claimed credit for a surplus next year if Labor is elected next month.

"We'll get back to surplus if we are in office," he said.

"We have taken the policy decisions to get back to surplus. The Government's policy decisions make the surplus $13 billion lower over the estimates than it otherwise would be."

The major parties are also set for a contest on tax rates, with the Coalition announcing plans to flatten the tax brackets, meaning 94 per cent of Australians pay no more than 30 per cent income tax by 2024.

Growing calls for greater Newstart allowance payments

There was no new money in the budget to increase Newstart despite support from both the business community and welfare lobbyists, who have pushed for a $75-a-week increase.

Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott last night told the ABC it was a "moral issue" that could no longer be "kicked down the road".

"I just can't understand, I'm bewildered by why this is so difficult," Ms Westacott told the ABC after the budget's release.

"You have to do a lot of things, not just increase the allowance, you've got to really work hard on people who are very disadvantaged.

"There are 28,000 people who have been on Newstart for 10 years and over 60 per cent of people have been on it for over two years so we've got an issue about very disadvantaged workers and how we get them the right training and assistance."

"It's a travesty that as the Treasurer takes delight in delivering a surplus budget, he and his colleagues have absolutely turned their backs on people on the lowest incomes," said Cassandra Goldie, from the Australian Council of Social Services.

Advocates were last night pleased the budget included almost $528 million for the disability royal commission.

The money will be spent over five years to examine violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation within the disability sector.

But Labor has vowed to campaign on the Coalition having spent $1.6 billion less on the National Disability Insurance Scheme than budgeted over four years.

Advocates for the aged care sector had mixed feelings from the Budget.

While they welcomed extra funding for additional home care packages, it hopes the major parties will promise more funding for the sector in election commitments.

"Up to 125,000 older Australians are waiting up to two years for home care, [leaving] many dying while they wait," the Council of Ageing's Ian Yates said.